The 46-year-old Stamford resident, whose son enrolled at the high school as a tuition-paying student in the fall, said he will make about $167,000 as the permanent headmaster.

A widely popular candidate, Winters made no secret of his intention to seek the permanent job.

But while some supporters at the time he took over called for making his interim job permanent, the schools chief opted to hold a nationwide job search, saying it was crucial to find the top talent.

That Winters was ultimately selected for the position bolsters his credibility that much more, Superintendent of Schools Sidney Freund said.

"You don't get the job just by virtue of the fact you're here," he said. "You have to earn it, and Chris had that fire in his belly. He really went after (the position), and he showed us he can do it."

The district launched its national search in the fall, using Glenview, Ill.-based Hazard, Young, Attea and Associates, a firm approved by the school board, to solicit public feedback and then recruit candidates.

The consultants later presented a slate of eight candidates to Freund, who, following initial interviews by a committee that included parents, students and staff, narrowed the pool to three semifinalists, including Winters.

Freund's decision to hire Winters prompted applause and cheers among high school PTA members when the schools chief announced the selection at the group's meeting on Tuesday, a parent said.

"I'm not surprised" by the decision, said Camille Broderick, co-president of the PTA, though she added she agreed with Freund's decision to cast a nationwide net in its headmaster search.

"It makes this appointment even stronger, knowing it's been through this vetting," she said. As interim head, Winters "has done a good job. GHS has a lot of potential, and he wants to maximize it."

Winters said his top priority remains moving GHS closer to the "Vision of the Graduate," a document outlining the ideal skills and traits that Greenwich students should have when they graduate.

Achieving those goals means making GHS more "rigorous, innovative and responsive," he said.

In the bigger picture, Winters said he wants to improve instruction in a way that ensures students are more engaged in their schoolwork. He also wants to foster an environment that is supportive of new educational ideas as well as make GHS a more "nimble school" that's responsive to the evolving needs of students.

In the nearer term, Winters plans to pursue a number of more ground-level reforms.

These include possibly revising the attendance policy to better ensure that students are at school during the day, as well as re-examining the high school's policy of weighting grades for honors and Advanced Placement courses.

A committee of educators there is also trying to figure out how the high school can better accommodate students who may not necessarily be bound for traditional, four-year colleges. Another committee is examining ways of improving the high school's special education program, which some parents have said is sorely lacking.

Having a permanent headmaster at GHS will create more stability to pursue these educational goals, Winters believes. "Where there's more security, more stability, people can act a little bolder and think a little further out," he said.

Prior to becoming Folsom housemaster, Winters worked as coordinator of the English as a second language program from 1999 to 2006 and coordinator of the World Language Program from 2003 to 2006.

Winters began his education career as an ESL teacher at Morris High School in the Bronx in 1990, following a two-year stint with the Peace Corps in the Republic of Mali. He spent a year at Roxbury Elementary School in Stamford before coming to Greenwich in 1999 to work as coordinator of ESL programs, a job he held until becoming a GHS housemaster in 2006.